Buoyancy device and portable electronic assembly using the same

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic assembly includes a portable electronic device and a covering buoyancy device, the buoyancy device includes an housing and a cavity, the cavity includes at least one first primary cavity and at least one second primary cavity isolated from the at least one first primary cavity.

FIELD

The subject matter herein generally relates to buoyancy devices and portable electronic assemblies using the same.

BACKGROUND

With the improvement of wireless communication, portable electronic devices have become important tools in daily life. But the portable electronic devices are easily damaged when dropped into water or other liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portable electronic assembly, according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a buoyancy device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line of the buoyancy device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the buoyancy device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a portable electronic assembly, according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a portable electronic assembly, according to a third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.

Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented.

The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape or other word that substantially modifies, such that the component need not be exact. The term “comprising” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series and the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a portable electronic assembly 100 including a buoyancy device 50 and a portable electronic device 90, according to a first embodiment. The buoyancy device 50 is used to accommodate the portable electronic device 90 to protect the portable electronic device 90 from shock, and to improve a buoyancy force of the portable electronic device 90 in liquid, as such limiting the time the portable electronic device 90 is submerged, thus improving water resistance.

The buoyancy device 50 can be a protection case made of plastic material or silica gel. FIG. 2 illustrates the buoyancy device 50 includes a housing 51. The housing 51 includes a bottom board 511 and a plurality of side boards 513 surrounding the bottom board 511. The side boards 513 are higher than the bottom board 511, the bottom board 511 and the side boards 513 cooperatively form an accommodation cavity 515 to accommodate the portable electronic device 90.

It is to be understood, the buoyancy device 50 can be made of other materials with low density. For example, when the buoyancy device 50 is designed to enable the portable electronic device 90 to float on a kind of liquid, the density of the buoyancy device 50 should be low enough such that the overall density of the portable electronic assembly 100 is lower than the density of that kind of liquid.

FIG. 3 illustrates the bottom board 511 includes a bottom wall 5111 and a top wall 5113 apart from the bottom wall 5111. The bottom wall 5111, the top wall 5113 and the side boards 513 cooperatively form a cavity 53 inside the housing 51 for accommodating gas with low density, such as air, nitrogen or helium or other gas. It is to be understood, the cavity 53 can be vacuum. In at least one embodiment, the cavity 53 includes at least one first primary cavity 531 and at least one second primary cavity 533 isolated from the first primary cavity 531. The first primary cavity 531 is defined inside the bottom board 511 and located between the bottom wall 5111 and the top wall 5113, and the second primary cavity 533 is defined inside the side boards 513.

FIG. 4 illustrates the first primary cavity 531 is substantially a honeycomb structure and includes at least two isolated first subsidiary cavities 5311. Each first subsidiary cavity 5311 is substantially a hexagonal structure and includes six separating plates 5313 connected end to end. Each separating plate 5313 connects to the bottom wall 5111 and the top wall 5113 to strengthen the first primary cavity 531 of the buoyancy device 50.

The second primary cavity 533 is disposed outside of the first primary cavity 531. The second primary cavity 533 includes at least two isolated second subsidiary cavities 5331. As illustrated in FIG. 4, each second subsidiary cavity 5331 includes two supporting plates 5333, and each supporting plate 5333 connects to two of the separating plates 5313 and the side board 513 to strengthen the second primary cavity 533. The separating plates 5313 and the supporting plates 5333 can be made of elastic materials or vibration-absorptive materials to absorb impact force.

Although the cavity 53 is illustrated as a honey comb structure in FIG. 4, in another embodiment the cavity 53 can have another shape such as a triangle structure, a quadrilateral structure or a cubic structure.

In assembly, the buoyancy device 50 can be made by injection molding in a gas chamber and the gas in the chamber can be nitrogen, helium or other gas with low density, thus the gas with low density can be filled in the first primary cavity 531 and the second primary cavity 533, then the portable electronic device 90 can be accommodated in the accommodation cavity 515. Alternatively, the buoyancy device 50 can be made by injection molding in a vacuum chamber. When the portable electronic device 90 and buoyancy device 50 are dropped to the ground, the separating plates 5313 and supporting plates 5333 can support the buoyancy device 50 and the portable electronic device 90 to prevent the portable electronic device 90 from being broken by impact force. When the buoyancy device 50 and the portable electronic device 90 are dropped into liquid, the gas in the first primary cavity 531 and the second primary cavity 533 can improve the buoyancy force of the buoyancy device 50 to make the portable electronic device 90 float on the liquid, thereby preventing the portable electronic device 90 from being submerged under the water or other liquid, thus limiting the amount of liquid that enters the portable electronic device 90.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portable electronic assembly 200 includes a buoyancy device 150 and a portable electronic device 190, according to a second embodiment. The buoyancy device 150 defines a cavity 153, structures and functions of the cavity 153 in the second embodiment are substantially the same as the cavity 53 in the first embodiment. The buoyancy device 150 differs from the buoyancy device 50 only in that the buoyancy device 150 is a battery cover configured to protect a battery of the portable electronic device 190. The portable electronic assembly 200 further includes a membrane 155 which can be either transparent or non-transparent coating, and the membrane 155 is defined on the battery cover 150 and is facing to the battery to cover the cavity 153 to hermetically seal the cavity 153, when the cavity 153 is filled with the air, then membrane 155 seals the cavity 153 to prevent the air from getting out to provide a buoyancy force for the portable electronic device 190.

It is to be understood, in other embodiments, the buoyancy device 150 can be a whole housing of the portable electronic device 190 or a partial housing of the portable electronic device 190.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a portable electronic including a buoyancy device 250, and the honeycomb structure of the buoyancy device 250 can be made of small cells with low density. The buoyancy device 250 includes a bottom board 2511 and a plurality of side boards 2513 surrounding the bottom board 2511. The buoyancy device 250 further includes a plurality of separating plates 2512 disposed on the bottom board 2511. The bottom board 511, the side board 2513 and the separating plates 2512 cooperatively form a cavity 253. The bottom board 511, the side board 2513 and the separating plates 2512 can be made of small cells and the small cells can be made by 3D printing. The small cells can be solid and made by materials with low density, or the small cells can be hollow and filled with air or other gas with low density. It is to be understood, when the small cells are hollow, the inside space of the small cells can be vacuum. Also, the small cells can be made of elastic materials or vibration-absorptive materials to absorb impact force. The buoyancy device 50′ can replace the buoyancy device 50 in FIG. 1 or the buoyancy device 150 in FIG. 5.

In summary, the buoyancy device 50 defines the first primary cavity 531 and the second primary cavity 533 between the bottom board 511 and the side boards 513 which can be filled with low density gas, thereby improving the buoyancy force of the buoyancy device 50. The first primary cavity 531 is substantially a honeycomb structure and includes a plurality of first subsidiary cavities 5311, the second primary cavity 533 includes a plurality of second subsidiary cavities 5331, when any one of the first subsidiary cavities 5311 and the second subsidiary cavities 5331 is damaged, other first subsidiary cavities 5311 and second subsidiary cavities 5331 can still function. The first primary cavity 531 has a plurality of separating plates 5313, the second primary cavity 533 has a plurality of supporting plates 5333, the separating plates 5313 and the supporting plates 5333 are connected to strengthen the cavity 53 of the buoyancy device 50.

The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure up to, and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A buoyancy device comprising: a housing; and a cavity defined and sealed inside the housing, wherein the cavity comprises at least one first primary cavity and at least one second primary cavity separated from the first primary cavity.
 2. The buoyancy device of claim 1, wherein the first primary cavity is substantially a honeycomb structure and comprises at least two isolated first subsidiary cavities.
 3. The buoyancy device of claim 2, wherein the second primary cavity comprises at least two isolated second subsidiary cavities.
 4. The buoyancy device of claim 3, wherein the housing comprises a bottom board and a plurality of side boards surrounding the bottom board, the side boards are higher than the bottom board to form an accommodation cavity.
 5. The buoyancy device of claim 4, wherein the bottom board comprises a bottom wall and a top wall apart from the bottom wall, the first primary cavity is formed inside the bottom board and located between the bottom wall and the top wall, each said first subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of separating plates connected end to end, the separating plates connect to the bottom wall and the top wall.
 6. The buoyancy device of claim 5, wherein the second primary cavity is formed inside the side boards and disposed outside of the first primary cavity, each said second subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of supporting plates connecting to the separating plates and the side boards.
 7. The buoyancy device of claim 1, wherein separating plates and side boards of a honeycomb structure of the buoyancy device are made of small cells.
 8. The buoyancy device of claim 1, wherein the cavity is filled with small cells.
 9. A buoyancy device comprising: a housing having a bottom board and a plurality of side boards surrounding the bottom board, a cavity defined and sealed inside the housing having at least one first primary cavity and at least one second primary cavity separated from the first primary cavity; wherein the at least one first primary cavity defined inside the bottom board, and the at least one second primary cavity defined inside the side boards and located outside of the at least one first primary cavity.
 10. The buoyancy device of claim 9, wherein the bottom board comprises a bottom wall and a top wall apart from the bottom wall, the first primary cavity is located between the bottom wall and the top wall, the first primary cavity is substantially a honeycomb structure and comprises at least two isolated first subsidiary cavities, each said first subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of separating plates connected end to end, the separating plates connect to the bottom wall and the top wall.
 11. The buoyancy device of claim 10, wherein the second primary cavity comprises at least two isolated second subsidiary cavities, each said second subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of supporting plates connecting to the separating plates and the side boards.
 12. A portable electronic assembly comprising: a portable electronic device; and a buoyancy device assembled on the portable electronic device and comprising: a housing; and a cavity inside the housing; wherein the cavity comprises at least one first primary cavity and at least one second primary cavity separated from the first primary cavity.
 13. The portable electronic assembly of claim 12, wherein the first primary cavity is substantially a honeycomb structure and comprises at least two isolated first subsidiary cavities.
 14. The portable electronic assembly of claim 13, wherein the second primary cavity comprises at least two isolated second subsidiary cavities.
 15. The portable electronic assembly of claim 14, wherein the buoyancy device is a protection case, the housing comprises a bottom board and a plurality of side boards surrounding the bottom board, the side boards are higher than the bottom board to form an accommodation cavity, the portable electronic device is accommodate in the accommodation cavity.
 16. The portable electronic assembly of claim 15, wherein the bottom board comprises a bottom wall and a top wall apart from the bottom wall, the first primary cavity is formed between the bottom wall and the top wall, each said first subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of separating plates connected end to end, the separating plates connect to the bottom wall and the top wall.
 17. The portable electronic assembly of claim 16, wherein the second primary cavity is formed in the side boards and disposed outside of the first primary cavity, each said second subsidiary cavity comprises a plurality of supporting plates connecting to the separating plates and the side boards.
 18. The portable electronic assembly of claim 12, wherein the buoyancy device is a battery cover, the portable electronic device comprises a membrane covering the cavity.
 19. The portable electronic assembly of claim 12, wherein separating plates and side boards of a honeycomb structure of the buoyancy device are made of small cells.
 20. The portable electronic assembly of claim 12, wherein the cavity is filled with small cells. 